Union employees at King Soopers grocery stores in metro Denver and parts of Boulder County will go on strike for two weeks starting 5 a.m. Thursday after failing to reach an agreement on a new contract with the supermarket chain.
The strike includes all unionized stores in Adams, Arapahoe, Broomfield, Denver, Douglas and Jefferson counties, as well as in Boulder and Louisville, United Food and Commercial Workers Local 7 announced Monday morning.
King Soopers workers in the Denver area voted late last week to authorize a strike.
Employees in Colorado Springs and Pueblo voted Friday and Saturday to authorize a strike. The union didn’t announce when employees there might walk off the job.
Kim Cordova, president of the United Food and Commercial Workers Local 7, has said staffing is one of the major issues for employees. Staffing levels and funding for health care benefits are among the issues that led union bargainers to reject what King Soopers called its “last, best and final offer.”
“This strike is about holding one of the largest corporations in America accountable when they break the law and cause harm to workers and our customers,” Cordova said in a statement Monday. “We are holding this strike for a two-week period to allow everyone to understand our concerns, and give the employer time to right their wrong.”
The union’s contracts with the company expired Jan. 17.
The union has accused King Soopers, owned by Kroger, of unfair labor practices, including refusing to provide information necessary for the union to be able to make or
consider proposals in contract negotiations.
King Soopers has denied the claims. The company has called on the union to allow employees to vote on the contract that negotiators rejected.
The last strike against Denver-area King Soopers stores was in January 2022. That walkout lasted 10 days.
Kroger also owns City Market stores in Colorado. The union also is in contract talks with Albertsons, which owns Safeway.
This is a developing story that will be updated.
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